


Will you catch me if I fall?

by erica_wahlin



Category: Voltron legendary defenders
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Insecure Lance, Langst, M/M, Poisioning, Voltron, keith (voltron) - Freeform, klance, lance (voltron) - Freeform, voltron legendary defender - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 06:43:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15213437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erica_wahlin/pseuds/erica_wahlin
Summary: “Yeah, I don’t buy that. You’re repeating your words, you look pale and seem like you’re  seconds from toppling over.”Lance would be seriously impressed if it wasn’t for the sudden lightheadedness that quickly overtook him.Well, fuck it, Lance thought.“Yeah, you might wanna catch me.”- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Lance and Keith are assigned to go on a mission together. What the others aren’t aware of is that Lance slowly but surely has fallen for Keith, and isn’t handling it very well.Afraid of losing their new friendship, he decides to shut down his feelings and go back to the way things were before. It doesn’t go the way he plans.





	Will you catch me if I fall?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real fanfiction! I hope you enjoy reading it! 
> 
> I would love for you to write a comment so please don’t hesitate do to so!

”UGGHH! GROSS!”, Lance shrieked as he struggled to pull his foot out of the mud-like ground that he accidentally had stepped in. After cursing under his breath his foot was released with a “schlopp” and he fell backwards, flailing with his arms as he tried to regain his balance. He heard a snort from behind him and stomped forward with a frown on his face. 

“Why did I have to get picked for this quiznaking mission? I mean, really? Why not Hunk? Or Pidge? And why did I have to get stuck searching for a stupid stone with a walking mullet without any social skills whatsoev-“

“Hey-! I’m RIGHT here, Lance!”, Keith exclaimed behind him, the earlier amusement gone from his voice.

“I’m not exactly happy about this either but could you do us both a favor and keep that mouth of yours shut for five god damn minutes?” 

Lance looked back at Keith and gave him a cold glare before turning his attention back to the road - if you could even call it that - ahead of him. He considered throwing back another insult but settled on walking in silence while observing the forest around him. The planet reminded him of the forests in Cuba. The air was humid and the fauna tropical; had the circumstances been different Lance might have even enjoyed exploring the area. But right now, he wanted nothing more than to find the stone that Coran had assured him might contain a substance necessary for an upgrade of the castle’s... something. 

Lance’s mind had started wandering when he realized that his complaints wouldn’t get him out of the situation. Allura had already made up her mind and very few things could change it when she had decided on something.

After making sure that Lance understood how “utterly immature and selfishly” he was acting, Lance had crossed his arms and finally agreed to go on the mission with Keith. Satisfied with the outcome, Allura had given Keith an apologetic smile and told him that the mission wouldn’t take too long. Lance’s stomach had twisted at her words, that in his mind implied that Keith unfortunately had to spend time with him, and he had headed to his lion without uttering another word.

Lance was aware that he and Keith didn’t get along. They always ended up arguing, and lately the arguing had gotten even worse. Lance was also aware that he was the one responsible for that. 

However, contrary to popular belief, Lance didn’t actually hate Keith. Far from it. He actually didn’t mind the idea of going on a mission with Keith at all. 

When they had first arrived at the castle, Keith would annoy him more than any other person Lance had ever met. Everything about him made Lance mad. Keith was impulsive and uncooperative. He got along better with Shiro than Lance did. He was irritatingly good at fighting. AND had a god damn mullet. 

But as time went on and the two of them went on missions together, got to know each other and started supporting each other, they had started to become what Lance would consider friends. 

In the beginning, Lance had been thrilled over their developing relationship. They would train together, sometimes swing by each other’s rooms to chat and at a few rare occurrences Keith would join Lance for his late-night star viewing sessions. It was a nice change that Lance quite honestly enjoyed a lot.

But the more time they spent together, a recurring feeling in Lance’s stomach would arise. Whenever Keith made a sassy comeback and grinned proudly afterwards, whenever he shot Lance a smile as their eyes met during meetings, whenever he would open up during their nightly talks, the weird feeling would come back. Lance found himself flustered and unfocused more often that he would like to admit. He didn’t pay attention during practice, he couldn’t sleep properly, and it was all because of Keith and his stupid mullet. 

Lance was frustrated. He just wanted to go back to the time when he and Keith could insult each other with a glint in their eyes WITHOUT feeling his face heat up whenever Keith snorted at a joke he’d made, or when Keith’s hand didn’t feel burning hot whenever he placed it on Lance’s shoulder after a difficult mission. 

So, Lance decided to go back to his behavior from long ago, when he and Keith argued a lot. When the words stung and they couldn’t cooperate. When they would shoot each other cold glares during meetings and complain about each other after missions. Because, that was better than whatever he was feeling right now. Right? 

“LANCE! WATCH OUT!” 

Lance was pulled back to reality by Keith screaming his name. He instinctively activated his bayard and rolled away from the movement coming his way in his peripheral vision. 

When he came into a sitting position, he realized that he’d just dodged the strike of a sentries’ gun with less than a second to spare. He took a sharp breath and shot the robot down before scanning the area. 

Sentries were appearing from the forest from all directions and Keith was currently fighting what Lance assumed to be a Galra officer. Lance felt a strike of guilt and embarrassment, realizing that he’d been so caught up in his own thoughts that he’d put them both in danger. However, after seeing Keith struggle against his opponent, Lance decided that it was the wrong time to be thinking about how he’d messed up. He could do that later. 

Lance quickly got into the right mindset and started taking the advancing sentries down one by one, spinning and turning constantly to keep up with them. Sentries weren’t particularly difficult to take down, but they could be a pain in the ass when they attacked in numbers. And that’s exactly what they did. No matter how many Lance took down, they just seemed to keep on coming. Sweat rolled down his face as he once again pulled the trigger, taking another Sentry down in one shot. Before he knew it another one would take its place, as if he hadn’t done anything at all. Furthermore, they were getting too close for Lance’s liking.

A sudden burning sensation exploded in his left side and he swung around with a gasp, greeted by a sentry’s gun pointing directly at him. WAY too close. Quiznak. 

Lance kicked the sentry’s leg, causing it to fall and shoot right above his head rather than his face. He desperately slammed his gun into its neck and stumbled to his feet, needing to put some distance between himself and the robots. He was thankful that his armor had protected him from getting seriously injured from the earlier hit, but it still stung a lot. He didn’t want to risk that happening again. However, it didn’t take long to notice that that probably wasn’t a possibility. In the short time span between him getting attacked and now, the sentries had completely surrounded him.

Lance froze for a second, considering his options, before running towards a tree, taking down all sentries standing in his way. If he managed to get up he could take them out from a distance without having to worry about them sneaking up on him. That thought made him push through all the arms clinging to him as he ran, and the pain from hits grazing his body as he got closer and closer to the tree. Lance wasn’t exactly sure how he managed, but he pretty much jumped and pulled himself up on a branch high up from the ground. His heart pounded hard in his chest and he wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. 

A cry from Keith signaled that break time was over. Lance looked in Keith’s direction and felt his blood run cold at the sight. Keith was laying on the ground, using his sword as a shield to protect his throat from the Galra’s blade. The purple creature had a wicked grin painted across his face as he stomped on Keith’s shin, making the boy scream out in pain, struggling to focus on not getting hit throat cut open. Lance’s grip on his bayard tightened in anger and he quickly brought his gun up, ready to fire.

The first shot landed on the Galra’s hand, making him pull it away with a scream, the pressure on his blade decreasing. The second shot hit the officer in his shoulder, making him shrug back and making sure that his swings wouldn’t be as powerful. 

The last shot hit his shin, making him fall to the ground. Lance wasn’t normally into hurting people more than necessary, but that was payback for Keith. Lance caught himself grinning as Keith got the upper hand, and he moved his focus back to the sentries. They would be a piece of cake from up here. Or so he thought. While he managed to put distance between him and them, he’d also made himself quite an easy target. There always had to be something that could go wrong. 

He dodged the incoming blasts to the best of his ability, but ultimately he was a deer in the headlights. After getting hit right in his chest - that one REALLY burned - he fell down from the branch and hit the ground with a crash. The air escaped his lungs at the impact and he slammed his head against the ground when landing, leaving him gasping for air with a prominent pounding in the back if his head. Great. Just lovely. 

He groaned as he curled up into himself, holding his head in an effort to ease the pounding. Instead, another strike of pain hit his side and he let out a yell as a sentry’s foot collided with his already bruised flesh. Countless arms grabbed at him and Lance flailed as he tried to escape, searching for his bayard without any luck. His eyes caught sight of it laying by the tree, probably having bounced there as it hit the ground. He struggled against the sentries’ grip, throwing them insults that his mother would scold him for using, but despite his attempts of escape he couldn’t get away. The frustration made tears form in his eyes and he tried to blink them away, not wanting to give them the satisfaction. Why did these things always have to happen to him? 

Suddenly, the hands disappeared and he opened his eyes - when had he closed them? - in surprise. The sentries that had been focusing on restraining him a few seconds ago were now occupied with a new threat - cutting them down with impressive speed. Keith fought the remaining robots, leaving Lance enough time to collect himself, get his bayard and look at his teammate in awe. He always knew Keith was good at fighting, but why did he have to look so goddamn good whilst doing it?

After cutting down the last of them and finishing the fight, Keith leaned against his sword for a bit, catching his breath. Lance stood back and waited, considering if he should walk up to him or not. Before he got the chance to decide, Keith started striding towards him with a facial expression Lance couldn’t quite decipher. 

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING!?”, Keith roared, grabbing Lance’s arm and staring him down with burning eyes. 

Well, that was not the outcome Lance had expected. 

“Wha- What are you talking about?”, Lance asked in confusion before continuing:

“What do you THINK I was doing!? I was taking down sentries coming from every direction! What are you getting at?”

“Well, to start with,” Keith pushed a finger into Lance’s chest as he spoke. “You were too distracted to even notice that a whole army of sentries came rushing out of the forest! If I hadn’t warned you, you would have gotten hit!” 

“And then, while I was fighting a Galra officer, you couldn’t even take care of yourself! The second I was done with him I look over and see you on the ground getting your ass kicked!”

Every word coming out of Keith’s mouth felt like a punch in Lance’s gut. He wanted to defend himself; he wanted to tell Keith about all the sentries he had defeated and how he had helped Keith out when he was pinned down, but the words just wouldn’t come out. He knew he wasn’t paying attention. He knew he should be able to handle a situation like that. He knew he should be stronger. Smarter. Better. 

“You are a paladin of Voltron, but you can’t even take care of yourself! How the hell do you expect yourself to save oth-“

“CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I’M TRYING!?”

Lance wanted the words to come out strong and angry, but they simply sounded broken. And hurt. He felt hurt. He just wanted to go back to his room and lay down and disappear. 

Keith didn’t respond. Lance looked up from the ground, meeting Keith’s eyes, staring back at him so intensely, trying to convey SOMETHING. Disappointment? Frustration? Guilt? Lance couldn’t make it out. He did however notice a a movement in the bushes behind Keith. A flash of yellow eyes made Lance react before he even knew what was happening. 

Lance shoved Keith aside and shot the Galra officer down without hesitation. A blast right between the eyes, making the figure fall back immediately. The situation was handled so quickly that Lance stood there for a few seconds, expecting the Galra to stand up and attack them, but it never happened. Instead of allowing himself to dwell on the matter any longer, he lowered his bayard and let out a sigh.

“Come on, let’s just find the stone and get back to the castle”, Lance said as he walked past Keith and continued into the forest. Keith hesitated a bit, opening his mouth as if to say something before quickly shutting it, following the brown-haired boy without a word. 

\- - - - - - 

Lance didn’t feel good. Considering the injuries he’d sustained from the earlier battle and the roller coaster of emotions he’d felt as a result from it, he wasn’t exactly expecting himself to be skipping through the bushes; but something still felt off. 

He was out of breath, his head pounded yet felt as though it was filled with cotton at the same time, he was sweating yet shivering and the world seemed to spin more than he remembered it usually doing. Lance lightly shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind, but quickly regretted his decision as the headache simply intensified at the action. He groaned and slowed down a bit, looking at Keith walking ahead of him seemingly unfazed by the earlier battle. 

While he was grateful that Keith wasn’t hurt, he couldn’t help but ask himself why he couldn’t just walk it off like that? Why couldn’t he be more like Keith?

Lance knew he wasn’t okay, but he wasn’t going to let Keith know that. He frowned at the thought of getting another ear-full from the other, telling him how weak he was and to get over himself. No, he’d already reached his limit for the day, thank you very much. 

Lance decided on simply holding on until they finished this god forsaken mission; then he would sleep for a whole day and wake up feeling better. He just had to hold on for a little longer. He just had to ignore the fact that every step made his head feel like it would break open and that he constantly switched between burning up and freezing to the point of his teeth chattering. Yeah, no problem. 

Lance suddenly realized that Keith had stopped walking and was turned towards him, looking as though he was waiting for Lance to say something. Shit. He hadn’t been paying attention. Again. 

“Lance?”

He flinched slightly at the sound of his name. 

“Y-yeah?” 

Keith raised an eyebrow before falling into his usual frown, crossing his arms. 

“I said, could you check the map that Coran gave us? We should be getting close.” 

“Uh yeah, sure no problem. Hang on a sec.” Lance reached into his pocket and fiddled with the thin object before a hologram of the surrounding area came out of it. 

Keith walked up to him, gesturing at the map, explaining how to get to the marked area, or so Lance assumed. He was busy trying not to fall over due to the sudden dizziness and ringing in his ears. He was honestly starting to get a little bit freaked out, this definitely wasn’t normal. 

“Lance!” 

He was once again brought back to reality by Keith calling for him. How many times had that happened today? Lance had lost count, but he was pretty sure it was too many. 

“Hm?” 

Keith's frown had deepened and he looked at Lance with judging eyes. Lance gulped as he prepared for Keith to yell at him again. 

“Are you okay?” 

The question caught Lance off guard. Keith wasn’t normally one to notice when things were off, and he wasn’t the one who asked about them either. For a second Lance considered just giving in and telling Keith, but he stubbornly shot that thought down. 

“Yeah, yeah, totally fine. No problem here, yeah yeah I’m fine.” 

Keith carefully looked him up and down, and on another day Lance wouldn’t have minded that one bit, but right now Lance wanted nothing more than for Keith to mind his own damn business and stop being so observant. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

Keith was quiet for a second before rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, I don’t buy that. You’re repeating your words, you look pale and seem like you’re seconds from toppling over.” 

Lance would be seriously impressed if it wasn’t for the sudden lightheadedness that quickly overtook him. 

Well, fuck it, Lance thought.

“Yeah, you might wanna catch me.” 

The last thing Lance registered after finally caving in and feeling the world disappear under his feet, were a couple of gentle hands catching him and Keith screaming his name. This time, however, it didn’t bring him back from the darkness swallowing him. 

\- - - - - 

Pain. That’s the only thing Lance could focus on as the darkness slowly faded away. Why was he in pain? What was going on? Lance didn’t remember anything after the battle. 

“as fast as you can! I- I don’t KNOW Shiro he just- just collapsed all of a sudden! No I-“ 

Keith? 

Lance wasn’t exactly sure what was going on. He felt tired. His head hurt. Actually, everything hurt. Why did everything hurt? 

“God, Shiro I thought he looked sick but I never thought- I’m such an idiot!” 

No, it wasn’t Keith’s fault. 

Lance forced his eyes open and groaned as the pounding in his head intensified due to the sudden brightness. He heard a small gasp.

“Lance! Are you alright!?” 

Keith was staring at him with such worry and fear in his eyes that Lance felt as though he’d drown in them. And even if it was nice to have Keith’s full attention, he didn’t want it if it meant that Keith had to look so upset. 

”Don’t worry, mullet,” Lance said as he forced a grin and started pushing himself to sit up straight. ”I don’t exactly know what happened but I’m fin-” 

Nausea struck Lance like a slap in the face and he barely managed to lean away from Keith before he started throwing up. Keith awkwardly held Lance, making reassuring circles on his back. He stuttered out that everything would be alright, and even though Lance wanted to trust Keith, he was starting to question if it really would be okay. It didn’t feel like it. It felt as though his insides were turning inside out. Aside from that, he was pretty sure he had a high fever and was suffering from dehydration as a cause of his profound sweating. 

After his body had stopped trying to empty itself, Lance was left shaking vigorously in Keith’s arms. The latter boy was trying his hardest not to panic, but found it hard when Lance looked seconds away from losing consciousness again. Keith found himself cradling Lance while whispering the things Shiro used to tell him when he had nightmares, running his hand through Lance’s hair.

“You’re going to be okay. Everything is going to be alright. Just breathe, I’m here. I won’t leave you. C’mon, deep breaths.” 

To his relief, his attempts seemed to be doing something. Lance wasn’t breathing as shallow as before and his shaking had subdued slightly. Keith felt a bit of relief but didn’t let himself relax just yet. 

“Lance, I’m gonna need you to focus for a second, okay?”

Lance nodded slightly to show that he was listening. Keith smiled weakly at him. 

“I know you’re in pain but, can you think of anything that could be the cause of all this? Were you feeling sick before the mission? Did you eat something weird? Did you get hurt in the battle?” 

Keith studied Lance’s face as he furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. 

“No...,” Lance said weakly. “I was feeling fine before we left. And even if the fight left me a bit roughed up, nothing that would make me feel this bad comes to mind.” 

Keith looked at Lance for a while, waiting to see if he could think of anything else. After a while he gave up.

“Well, I’ve contacted the others and they’re on their way here. They should arrive in 10 minutes or so, just hold on.” 

Lance hummed as he closed his eyes. He just wanted to sleep. This day had been so exhausting; he just wanted a break. 

“Hey, Lance...” 

Lance opened his eyes, meeting Keith’s gaze. He was close. Lance hadn’t had the time to consider the fact that Keith was literally holding him, and the realization made his heart skip a beat. Not the time, Lance.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were feeling bad?”

Oh. Lance bit his lip, not wanting to answer the question. It was pathetic. He knew it was. 

Keith sighed deeply.

“Lance, you scared the shit out of me when you suddenly collapsed like that,” Keith explained, voice trembling slightly. Lance noticed, feeling a hint of shame. 

“Do you not trust me?” 

Lance sat up in surprise, wincing at the pain that shot through his body as he did so.

“What!? Of course I do!” 

Keith looked confused, furrowing his eyebrows. 

“Then, why...”

Lance groaned in frustration. His head was pounding like before and he had started to freeze again, but he ignored that. 

“Listen... it’s not your fault. It’s just...” 

Lance felt sick. He couldn’t determine if it was from nervosity or from... whatever was wrong with him.

“I’m jealous.”

Lance looked at Keith, hoping that he’d somehow understand from simply that. But Keith only looked more confused, an eyebrow raised. Lance sighed. 

“Ever since the Garrison, I’ve been... jealous of you. Commander Iverson never missed an opportunity to tell me how useless of a pilot I was, and that I only was there because another student dropped out. That I wasn’t actually good enough to be there, only lucky.” 

Realization dawned on Keith’s face and his mouth opened slightly, letting out a silent “oh.” 

“So, when I met you that night when Shiro returned... I saw you as a rival.” 

Lance shrugged his shoulders, adding quietly, “even though that feeling never was mutual.”

Keith opened his mouth to say something, but Lance continued before he had the chance.

“All this time I’ve tried to be as good as you, but you always beat me. In combat. Piloting. Leadership. Everything. I’m never good enough.” 

Lance let his eyes fall to the ground. 

“I know I’m weaker than everyone else. That I’m the odd one out. I don’t contribute anything to the team... So, I just try not to drag everyone down. That’s why I didn’t tell you. We were on a mission. Me complaining about feeling bad would only complicate things, like always.” 

Lance waited for Keith’s answer in silence. He was scared. His heart was beating hard in his chest and he felt as though he would begin to hyperventilate. Would Keith be angry with him? Would he realize how pathetic he really was? Would he- 

Lance flinched as he felt Keith’s hand around his own, squeezing it gently. He looked up at Keith in shock, surprised by his reassuring gesture. Once again, he couldn’t decipher what kind of emotions Keith was expressing. 

“Lance... I’m sorry.”

What?

“I was too hard on you earlier. I was scared and frustrated and ended up taking it all out on you.”

Lance assumed he must’ve looked the same way Keith did a little while ago since Keith studied him for a second before taking a deep breath and continuing.

“When I saw the sentries advance without you noticing, and when you were laying on the ground, getting attacked while I was busy with the Galra officer, I was so scared. I was frustrated because I wasn’t able to help you.”

Keith’s grip around Lance’s hand tightened as he talked. 

“We’re a team Lance. Even if we argue and don’t get along sometimes, we have each other’s backs. Just like you had mine during the fight.” 

Lance unconsciously let out a gasp. He’d assumed that Keith hadn’t noticed when he shot the Galra officer. And if he did, Lance reckoned he didn’t care, considering his words earlier. And the fact that Keith had said that they were a team... 

The conversation left Lance’s head spinning. So much was happening that the shock had made him flush; he hoped Keith didn’t notice. 

“Lance.”

Lance met Keith’s eyes, not daring to look away. 

“I know I don’t say this enough but...” 

Keith raised his hand and moved it towards Lance’s face, cupping his cheek carefully. 

“Thank yo-“

The soft face Keith had been making - Lance was still lightheaded from seeing him alike that - vanished without a trace, replaced by surprise before quickly turning into concern. He placed his hand against Lance’s forehead and frowned. 

“You’re burning up!” 

The spell from before was broken and Lance suddenly became aware of the fact that the spinning and lightheadedness might be due to more than Keith being so close to him.

He gave Keith a weak smile. 

”Yeah, I don’t feel too good.” 

Keith’s eyes widened slightly with worry.

”How are you feeling?”

Lance was just about to answer when Keith interrupted him, giving him a firm look. 

“And don’t sugarcoat it. Tell me how bad it really is.” 

Lance would’ve laughed at the way Keith reminded him of his mom, but he wasn’t sure if he had the energy. 

“Honestly, pretty shit,” Lance sighed. “I’m lightheaded and dizzy. My head hurts, my mouth feels dry and I’m freezing. Breathing is a bit hard and... my heart’s beating really fast.” 

Keith nodded seriously. 

“I think you have a really bad fever... we need to cool you down.” 

Lance nodded in agreement. 

“I’m pretty sure that there was a lake close-by... Remove your armor while I go get some water, alright?” 

To be completely honest, Lance didn’t want Keith to leave. But he didn’t want to behave like a child either, he stayed quiet. After giving him an apologetic smile, Keith had left to go on his search for water, leaving Lance alone. 

Lance swallowed hard. God, seeing this side of Keith was bringing up feelings that he didn’t have time to handle right now. He needed to focus. He could think about how nice it had felt when Keith had held his hand, or how Keith had been so close that Lance could feel his breaths against his skin, later. First things first, he had to take his armor off. 

As Lance was trying to remove the suit - he struggled quite a bit due to the trembling -his eyes fell on something small attached to the bend of his arm. Lance raised an eyebrow, pulling it out and wincing at the pain. It reminded him of a papercut. 

Lance moved the small object closer to his face to look examine it. It was around 2 centimeters long and as thin as a straw of wheat, with a pointed end. An arrow, Lance realized. A small arrow. More similar to a dart, really. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Why the hell was that stuck to him? 

Lance continued staring at it for a bit, rolling it between his fingers when a thought came to his mind. He looked back at his arm. Maybe... 

He hesitantly poked the area that the arrow had been stuck to before quickly pulling his hand back in shock, giving away a scream. That had hurt. A lot. 

Lance could feel a knot starting to appear in his stomach as he anxiously removed the protective gear and started rolling up his sleeve. He gasped at the sight.

His arm was red and swollen, purple vine-like markings erupting from the small hole where the arrow had entered his skin.

Shit. 

Lance could feel his heart beat faster, the world slowing down around him as the realization hit. 

He was poisoned.

Questions started flooding his mind. When had it happened? How long had he been walking around after getting hit by the arrow? How dangerous were the effects?

He stared at his arm in chock, suddenly very aware of the pulsating feeling and heat coming from it if he payed attention. 

Fuck. 

Lance bit his cheek. This was not good. He hadn’t started feeling the effects that long ago and he was already in bad shape. Lance took a shaky breath. He needed to figure out what had happened. 

He knew that the poisoning was intended, that much was for certain. And according to Coran the planet’s inhabitants were supposed to be peaceful. That only left the Galra. Lance doubted that the sentries would be able to accomplish something as difficult as hitting him in one of the small areas without protective gear, and he’d only seen them wield blasters before. That left the Galra officer that Keith had been fighting. But Lance couldn’t think of a way for him to handle both fighting Keith and managing to hit Lance. Especially when he was in action. 

Then he remembered; there had been a second Galra officer. 

Lance remember thinking that it was weird that the other officer hadn’t joined the fight earlier, but had stayed hidden in the bushes. Lance reckoned that he was planning on poisoning them both, but Lance had noticed him before that, taking him out. Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone as smoothly as he’d thought. 

Lance wasn’t sure if it was because of the new knowledge of him being poisoned or not, but he was growing very conscious of how bad he really was feeling. The pounding in his head. The violent beating of his heart. The trembling of his hands and the nausea bubbling in his stomach. The pulsation in his arm and the spinning of the world. 

Fear was building inside of him, making the hair on his neck stand up. He didn’t want to die. Lance could feel his throat clench up as panic hit him for real. Oh god. He didn’t want to die.

He needed to find Keith. 

Lance tried to stand up, but his knees gave away under him, making him fall to the ground with a groan. When had he lost so much strength? 

Keith.

Lance crawled over to a nearby tree, clenching his jaw in pain as he shifted his weight to his swollen arm. After he’d made it there, he placed a hand on the trunk, digging his fingers into the bark as he pulled himself up. He leaned his body against the tree for a bit, trying to catch his breath. Lance squinted his eyes as he scanned the area. Was everything usually this blurry? 

He carefully placed one foot in front of the other, slowly walking in the direction Keith had headed, swaying from side to side.

Everything felt weird. It was as though Lance was dreaming: his surroundings felt detached and distant, the sounds of the forest distorted. He was vaguely aware of his feet touching the ground, but at the same time it felt as though he was floating. His thoughts were overlapping each other, making his mind feel fuzzy. 

Lance didn’t like it. The foreign sensation made him anxious. He wanted it to stop. 

Lance suddenly woke up, back on the ground again, his body aching from the impact. He groaned. When had that happened? Lance didn’t remember. Where was he? He couldn’t see. Everything was blurry. Everything hurt. Why was he hurting? 

His arm was burning, pain shooting through it. Lance whined as he curled up into himself, holding his arm in desperation. He wanted the pain to stop. He wanted it all to stop. 

Lance sobbed silently. He wanted Keith to play with his hair while telling him that everything would be alright. Instead, he could feel everything getting worse. His whines turned into screams. Please, make it stop. 

He was floating. Everything was hurting. Everything went dark. 

\- - - - - - - - - 

Lance woke up to a falling sensation before hitting something warm and soft, feeling gentle arms wrapping around him. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but he felt good. He felt safe, relaxing instantly.

“Hey, buddy, you awake?” 

Lance groaned as he opened his eyes and looked up, seeing Hunk giving him a weak smile. 

“Yeah,” he said, returning the gesture. 

Lance looked over his shoulder, seeing an open cryopod that he reckoned he had fallen out of. Lance furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Why had he been in a pod? 

“Thank for catching me, man.”

Hunk smiled wider, patting his back. 

“Don’t worry about it. How’re you feeling?” Hunk asked as he released Lance from his embrace. 

Lance hesitated a bit, thinking about it.

“Good...” Lance scratched the back of his head. “What happened?”

“You were poisoned.” 

Lance flinched and looked behind Hunk, finding Pidge next to Coran with a frown on her face.

“Keith found you while you were having a seizure,” she continued. 

Lance felt his stomach drop. He had had a seizure? He immediately felt the world start to spin again.

“Wait, wait, hold on. I need a moment.” Lance sat down on the ground, holding his head between his hands.

“You okay, Lance?” Hunk asked worriedly, crouching down in front of him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I just... I don’t remember much to be honest.” Lance frowned. 

“That’s alright, my boy,” Coran said as he sat down next to him. “Take your time, try to tell us what happened.” 

Lance nodded and started telling them everything from the start. About landing on the planet and getting ambushed by the Galra. About shooting the officer in the bushes and continuing the search until he collapsed. 

Lance blushed slightly as he remembered the way Keith had been taking care of and reassuring him. He decided to leave out the details regarding their talk, that felt too private. Hunk had raised an eyebrow at the way Lance not so discreetly skipped parts of the story, but he thankfully - bless Hunk - let it be. 

It was after Keith had left to find water that things got fuzzy. Lance tilted his head to the side, trying to remember. 

He explained how he’d found the small arrow and soon after figured out what had happened. The others’ faces fell into worried and upset frowns as he explained the way his condition had escalated quickly after that. 

“Where exactly did you say the arrow penetrated the suit?” Coran asked, stroking his mustache. “I should try to upgrade them after this.” 

“Yeah, it was right here,” Lance said as he started rolling up the white sleeve. He was, however, not only met with the sight of his tanned skin but also the purple markings which still were there. 

Hunk let out a gasp and Coran’s eyes narrowed in anger. Pidge, who had been leaning against a nearby wall, walked over to take a closer look and clenched her jaw as she saw his arm. The purple markings had spread out across his arm like roots, reminding him of claw marks. After letting them all stare for a while Lance cleared his throat, a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

“Yeah... That’s it.” 

Coran blinked, waking up from his trance. 

“It seems as though the markings turned into scar tissue while you were in the pod... I’m sorry my boy, but I don’t think I can do anything about those.” 

Lance stared at his arm in silence, letting his fingers slide across the foreign markings. They felt a bit more harsh than his normal skin, but they didn’t hurt. They did however, look quite awful. He pulled his sleeve back down with a sigh. 

“It’s alright, Coran. Can’t be helped.” 

Pidge looked up and met Lance’s eyes. 

“So, what happened after that?”

Lance appreciated the change of topic and nodded at her, showing his gratitude. She gave him a small smile. 

“After I realized that I was poisoned and getting worse quickly, I decided to look for Keith. Didn’t get very far though,” Lance laughed weakly. “My mind was so fuzzy, it felt like I was dreaming. Nothing felt real. I- I can’t really explain it. Then, suddenly, I was back on the ground again. The last thing I remember is my arm feeling like it was on fire.” 

Hunk’s furrowed his eyebrows.

“That’s when Keith came back. He said he heard you screaming and ran as fast as he could. By the time he made it there you were laying on the ground, shaking with your eyes rolled back. You were passed out by the time we got there.” 

Lance dug his nails into his hands, trying not to think about how he could’ve died. Trying not to think of the pain and darkness that had taken over him, leaving him unconscious. 

It didn’t work.

He had been so scared. What if the others hadn’t made it in time? What if he had died? What if Keith had found him dea- 

“Lance!” 

Lance flinched at the sound of his name, straightening up. Everyone had turned their heads in the direction of the entrance and Lance did the same, seeing Keith standing at the door. He was breathing heavily and leaning against the doorframe, catching his breath. Had he run there? 

Lance felt his heart skip a beat as he locked eyes with Keith. He was staring at Lance with so much worry in his eyes.

Lance wasn’t sure of what to do. He wanted to laugh, scream and cry at the same time. He wanted to hide behind Hunk, but at the same time he wanted nothing more than to run up to Keith and hug him. But instead of doing any of those things, Lance slowly stood up and stared back at him. 

They both stood there for a while, neither of them moving while Hunk, Pidge and Coran looked back and forth between them. Pidge and Hunk exchanged a look and suddenly stood up simultaneously.

“Well, Hunk, we better go do that thing we talked about earlier,” Pidge said loudly.

Hunk nodded.

“Yes, Pidge, I also think it’s time to take care of the thing!” he replied with a stilted voice. 

“Coran, we need you to help with the thing! C’mon!” Pidge continued as she forcefully pulled Coran to his feet. 

“What thing?” Coran asked, one of his eyebrows raised in confusion. 

“The THING!” Hunk said as he walked up and hooked his arm around Coran’s. “The very important thing that we need to fix, right now,” Pidge went on as she grabbed Coran’s other side. 

“What’re you doi-“

“Bye Lance, Keith, see you after we finish the thing!” Pidge yelled as she and Hunk dragged Coran out of the room, leaving the two boys alone. 

Lance’s heart was beating violently in his chest. Why was he so nervous? It was only Keith. 

He took a shaky breath. 

“Keith, I-“ 

Before he could finish his sentence, Keith rushed towards Lance and threw himself around him, almost making Lance fall over. Lance froze for a moment, too shocked by the sudden act of affection to say or do anything, until he felt Keith tremble against him. Lance was just about to ask him if everything was alright when he heard a sob, making his heart break. Was Keith... crying? Lance slowly put his arms around Keith and returned the hug. The action made Keith tense up before he started crying louder into Lance’s shoulder.

They stayed like that for a long time, holding each other. It should have been awkward. If it had been one day earlier, Lance definitely would’ve thought it was weird. But right now, Lance didn’t mind. At all. 

After a long time, Keith reluctantly released his grip around Lance and stepped back. His eyes were red and puffy, streaks from tears still left on his face. Lance’s heart ached with guilt. He never thought about how all of this would affect Keith. 

Lance raised his hand and wiped away a remaining tear from Keith’s cheek.

“Let’s go sit down.” 

Keith nodded and followed Lance in silence, taking a seat next to him. 

“So,” Lance began, looking over at Keith. He was staring at the ground. “I’m okay.” 

Keith raised his head and stared at Lance with red, wide eyes. Lance only smiled back at him. “Really, I’m fine.” 

Keith bit his lip and looked back down at the ground. Lance looked at him with concern. 

“What’s wrong..?”

Keith let out a shaky breath.

“It’s just... God, Lance I was so worried...” 

Keith’s voice broke and Lance felt as though someone punched him in the gut. He had never heard Keith like this before. He never thought hearing someone sound like this could hurt so much.

“When I heard you scream like that I- I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast in my life. And when I finally got there, you...” 

Keith ran his hand through his hair. 

“I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t do anything. I could only watch as you were dying! I-“ 

“Hey!” 

Keith jumped at the sudden yell and looked at Lance. God, Lance thought. Keith reminded him of a terrified kid.

Lance placed his hands on the sides of Keith’s face, holding him firmly while staring into his eyes. Keith’s heart was beating hard in his chest. He wanted to look away but found himself unable to escape the gaze of ocean-blue eyes in front of him. 

“I want you to listen carefully at what I’m about to tell you, understood?” Lance asked in a calm, firm voice. 

He studied Keith’s face carefully before continuing.

“I’m alive. I’m not dead. I am right here, and I’m fine. Let that sink in.”

“Yeah, but you could’ve-!” 

“But I didn’t.” 

Keith closed his mouth. Lance looked at him in silence before giving him a warm smile and pulling him into another hug. 

“I didn’t. I’m right here. I won’t leave you. We’re a team, right?” 

Keith hugged him back tightly before pulling back, finally giving Lance a smile. It was small, but it was there. 

“Yeah. We are.” 

Lance grinned. 

“The best.”

Lance scooted closer to Keith and rested his head against Keith’s shoulder. Keith tensed up a little bit before hesitantly leaning his head against Lance’s. 

“Let’s stay like this for a while,” Lance said quietly. 

“Yeah,” Keith whispered.

They sat next to each other like that for a long time, resting their heads against one another. It was comfortable, the tension from before long gone. Keith was the first one to break the silence. 

“Hey, Lance?”

“Mm?”

“I just realized I forgot something.” 

Lance straightened up and turned his head, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Really? What?”

Keith met his eyes and smiled.

“This.” 

He placed his hand on Lance’s as he closed the distance between their lips, kissing Lance gently. 

Lance’s eyes widened in surprise. Keith was kissing him. Holy shi-

Keith pulled back and smiled, in that special way that always made Lance warm inside. Right now, it made Lance felt as though he was going to explode. 

“Thank you.” 

Lance blinked in surprise. 

“For what..?” 

Keith snorted before intertwining his fingers with Lance’s, squeezing his hand. 

“Everything. I just- This whole experience made me realize how much I can’t stand the thought of losing you. You just... You’re always there. No matter if you need a shoulder to cry on, a joke to cheer you up, or someone to watch your back. You’re always there. And I’m just so glad I got to know you, Lance. ”

Lance’s mouth grew into a smile as Keith talked, warmth and happiness spreading through his entire body. When Keith finished, he couldn’t contain himself any longer. He shot forward, pressing his mouth against Keith’s. 

“I didn’t know you could be this cheesy, mullet,” he jokingly said between the kisses.

Keith snorted - Lance could swear that he’d never heard anything cuter in his life.

“I learned from the best,” Keith answered.

Lance smiled throughout the kiss, letting out a giggle, feeling Keith do the same. 

Maybe things didn’t have to go back to the way they were before? Maybe things didn’t have to be scary? 

As he sat there, kissing Keith through his laughter, Lance decided that this new development wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
